The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO), now known simply as Oklahoma Baptists, is a group of churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of Oklahoma. Headquartered in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, the convention is made up of 41 Baptist associations and around 1,750 churches as of 2020.

Name change

In 2019 the BGCO began operating under the name "Oklahoma Baptists," while retaining the legal name Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. The stated mission of Oklahoma Baptists is to "encourage one another to advance the Gospel." While rebranding in 2019, the convention also reorganized into two ministry groups, the Ministry Resource Group and the Ministry Partners Group. Through these groups, the convention provides services to Southern Baptist-affiliated churches throughout Oklahoma in over 30 different ministry efforts, including chaplaincy, childhood, student and collegiate ministries, disaster relief, senior and single adult ministries, as well as Hispanic and Native American focused ministries. Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center is owned and operated by the convention.

Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of ...

is an affiliate ministry of the state convention. Dr. Todd Fisher has served as the Executive Director-Treasurer since taking office in 2022. The BGCO is funded through donations from Oklahoma Southern Baptists giving through their churches to the Cooperative Program, the Edna McMillian State Mission Offering, as well as gifts and endowments from individual donors.

History

The BGCO is the successor of the Baptist General Convention of Indian Territory, which held its last session at the First Baptist Church of

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

on November 9, 1906 (one year before Oklahoma statehood). On the same day, the Oklahoma Baptist State Convention held its final session at the First Methodist Church of Shawnee. At a prearranged time, the two conventions then met, formed a line, marched two-by-two to the Shawnee Opera House and formed the Baptist General Convention of the State of Oklahoma, representing 882 churches and 40,617 members at that time. The convention continued dual alignment with both the Northern and Southern Baptist Convention until 1914 when it voted "single alignment" with the Southern Baptist Convention.Oklahoma Baptists , About
/ref> Prior to Fisher, Dr. D. Hance Dilbeck Jr. served as the Executive Director-Treasurer from 2018-2021. Nine Executive Directors have given leadership to the convention since 1906, beginning with J. C. Stalcup.

Affiliated organizations

* Southern Baptist Convention * ''

Baptist Messenger The ''Baptist Messenger'' is the flagship newsjournal of Oklahoma Baptists, published continuously since 1912. The Messenger is distributed to nearly 45,000 households and is the third largest newspaper in Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; ...

'' *

Baptist Village Communities Baptist Village Communities (BVC) is a non-profit organization that provides aging services throughout Oklahoma. Established in 1958 in Hugo, Oklahoma, the BVC provides assistance in living, nursing services, and memory support. Personal care oppor ...

Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC) is a nonprofit organization which aims to provide homes for children affected by abuse, abandonment, neglect, or poverty. Founded in 1903 as an orphan's home, the Baptist Homes for Children is a family-st ...

* Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center

References

External links

Oklahoma Baptists
{{Authority control Baptist Christianity in Oklahoma Conventions associated with the Southern Baptist Convention Baptist denominations established in the 20th century Christian organizations established in 1906 1906 establishments in Oklahoma Territory